How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

Do you know the difference between training and exercise? Here it is, in its simplest terms:

Athletes train. The average person (this is most of us) exercises.

Training is the conscious act of working through a pre-developed workout program with an end goal of achieving something. For example, an athlete could be training for a marathon, a new weightlifting meet, or even a CrossFit competition. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

Exercising, on the other hand, is the basic act of getting active. In most cases, the goal here is to lose weight or build minimal muscles. However, the key downside – and the difference from an athlete’s workout – is that there is no concrete plan put in place. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

The Process How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

This leads us to the most important aspect of what motivates an athlete – the process.

We get so caught up in the idea that motivation should be based on always striving for the end goal. To a certain extent, having this idea in mind will help you to better see the outcome as a euphoric experience, but athletes have a different psychology. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

An athlete understands that every workout that leads up to their event – whatever it may be – is crucially important. By that measure, an athlete is motivated by their own actions each and every day.

Yes, many athletes will tell you that they strive to accomplish a particular task, that they have role models and people they look up to, but when it comes to motivation – athletes are very different than most of us. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

The most important part that separates an athlete’s motivation from most of us is that they have a deep ability to exercise through the grind. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

The Grind

The grind is a term used to describe the daily workings of an athlete’s training program, especially as it leads up to a competition.

Athletes have the most unique ability to almost love the grind. They thrive in settings where they are put to the test, where the pain is the only option, and where recovery is essential. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

The Take Home

Athletes have a unique psychology about the grind.

Most people will believe that they can look to the end goal as a source of motivation. Some people might even start using another person as an external motivation.

It really does not matter which you want to choose – none of them will be more effective than altering your psychology to match that of an elite athlete and their love for the grind.

Learn to Love the Grind in Your Pursuit of Your Goals How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

Loving the grind and being motivated by your daily work takes time and requires conscious effort. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

As an individual, you can start by developing a clear plan for your goals and how you can achieve them. Once you have successfully constructed a plan, you can begin the real training and develop your own love of the grind.

Join the ranks of athletes in their love for the grind. Make the most of every struggle and learn to thrive in situations where you are pushed past your comfort zone. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

How? Practice. Daily practice:

1. Make it a habit to step outside your comfort zone each day:

> Meet one new person.

> Ask that cute neighbor out on a date.

> Make one more sales call.

> Take a different route to work.

> Try a new sport.

> Take dance lessons.

> And many more!

2. Each day take one step towards achieving your goals. Overcome obstacles as they rise up to greet you. Practice creating solutions that work. These are all part of your daily grind. How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

Like an athlete, you can learn to enjoy the grind. Let your daily actions be your motivation to keep going, day in and day out.

When you can do this, you too will enjoy success!

How to Train Like an Athlete in Pursuit of Your Goals

Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

Most of us are creatures of habit who like to create routines for ourselves and stick with them. These routines can be helpful in some ways as they enable us to get things done. However, too much routine can leave you feeling like there certainly must be something more to life, wondering what it is, and how you can add it to your own life.

Becoming more spontaneous will add spice and adventure to your life and help you to leave boredom behind. Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

Luckily, there are some easy things you can do to add spontaneity to your life on a regular basis. Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

Get more out of life! Use these strategies to become more spontaneous:

1. Try things that you think you can’t do. You likely have a lot of limiting beliefs, most of which came with you from your childhood. What if you really could do those things? Wouldn’t that please you? Try some! You’ll find a freedom that you never knew you had!

2. Look at the world as though you were a child. Children are naturally curious. Rather than saying no to everything new, throw yourself into the unknown just like a child. You’ll gain a new perspective about life.

3. Make small changes to your regular routines. Being spontaneous doesn’t necessarily mean making massive changes to your life. Even small changes can lead to unexpected discoveries. Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

> Take a different route. For example, if you usually jog a certain route, try taking a different route to see what happens. Take the scenic route to work or home. Turn on a different street and see what’s there.

> Do something out of its regular order. When you shake up the routine a bit, it makes you see things differently. For example, switch around breakfast and supper. Eat dessert first. Add an extra playtime with your kids, even if it’s just one short game.

4. Make random choices. When it comes to making decisions, try something like a coin flip to decide which option to take.

5. Explore new activities. You’ll add all kinds of spice to your life! Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

> Let someone else choose the movie.

> Explore a place in your city that you’ve never been.

> Visit your local tourist attractions. It’s likely that, as a resident, you’ve never been there. Do some research into unusual places, like alligator farms or train museums. Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

> Choose a different type of vacation or destination. For example, instead of always going to the beach, go to the mountains. Try a new city or country.

> Try a new hobby. Take salsa lessons. Paint a picture. Learn to play a musical instrument. Go to a rodeo.

6. Dare yourself to do something that you’ve been afraid to do. For example, ask an attractive coworker out on a date or learn to dive. Not only will you help to conquer your fears, but you’ll also discover new experiences that you can add to your life. Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

Becoming more spontaneous doesn’t mean that you need to stop making plans or thinking long-term. Simply leave a little room for slight deviations and take action to do something differently each day. You’ll be glad you did!

Spontaneity – A Delectable Spice of Life: How You Can Get More of It

6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

Emotions are tricky. They can dictate how we think and act. On the one hand, they’re vital to us as human beings. On the other, they can wreak havoc in our lives. The difference lies in how you manage them.

If we’re not careful, we may act on our emotions too quickly, which may lead us to making decisions that we come to regret. 6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

Learn how to work with your emotions instead of letting them get the better of you!

Try these techniques to better manage your emotions: 6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

1. Avoid reacting immediately. If a situation has triggered strong negative emotions, try to remove yourself from the situation, either mentally or physically.

> Walk away, if possible, perhaps to find a quiet place to perform some deep breathing exercises while you collect your thoughts. You can then return to the situation, safe in the knowledge that these emotions are just temporary.

> If you can’t walk away, take a moment to breathe deeply while you consider an appropriate response. The extra oxygen will help relax your muscles, calm your mind, and clarify your thoughts.

> Once you’ve calmed yourself, respond to the situation with a well-thought-out reply, rather than a knee-jerk reaction. 6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

2. Look for divine guidance. Often those with faith are better able to control their emotions. When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by emotion, close your eyes and seek a positive solution, asking the universe, your higher power, the Divine, or even your inner wisdom for the best way forward. 6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

3. Find a healthy outlet for your emotions. Once you’ve managed to control your emotions, it’s important to find a healthy way to release them. It’s never a good idea to bottle up your emotions, as eventually they’ll bubble over. Consider these ideas:

> Call or visit a friend or family member that you trust to talk about the situation and how you reacted. When you hear someone else’s opinion, you broaden your awareness and may be able to view the situation from a different perspective.

> You could also consider keeping a journal or diary in which to write down your feelings or emotions. Once you see the situation on paper, sometimes you’re able to see it more clearly. It may help you to release your emotions or spark ideas which help you to resolve the situation.

> For some people, aggressive forms of exercise help them deal with emotions, while others find that calmer methods such as yoga or meditation work best.

> Try these methods and see what works best for you.

4. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. When you experience negative emotions, you think negative thoughts, and vice versa. This can create a cycle of negativity that can be hard to break out of. 6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

> Whenever you experience an emotion that causes you to think negatively, replace these thoughts with positive thoughts. You could try to play out the ideal resolution to your current issue, or simply think about someone or something that makes you happy.

5. Forgive what triggered you. What sets off an emotional reaction in you? Perhaps you feel anger when your friend does that thing you hate. Or perhaps you feel depressed thinking back at a decision you could have made differently.

> Forgive whatever is causing the negative emotions. This will help you to become detached from these triggers and may stop these emotional reactions from boiling over in the future.

When you take control of your emotions, you take control of your future! Practice these strategies and take back control of your life.

6 Techniques That Help You Manage Your Emotions

Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

Do you spend all of your free time reading and gathering information? Are you a self-help junkie that never seems to make any meaningful progress in your life? Are you trying to take your life to the next level by using the power of your mind alone?

How is that working for you? Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

Nothing changes until your behavior changes. Sure, you might feel better about your life after all of your mental gymnastics, but is anything actually happening in your life from all of these intellectual efforts?

Take action and watch your life change before your eyes!

Consider these ideas: Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

1. You have to do something for something to happen. Nothing happens until you act. You can’t wish or visualize your way to a plate of food, a fancy car, the partner or your dreams, or a successful business. Those things might make it easier for you to act, but you must still take action of some kind.

> Unless you’re telekinetic, you can’t even make a paperclip move across your desk without taking action.

> The more you want to accomplish, the bigger the action you’ll need to take.

2. It’s not what you can do that matters. It’s what you actually do that counts. The amount of capability you possess only increases the number of options you have available.

> Having options isn’t the same as choosing one and taking action.

3. Your beliefs, values, and thoughts influence your behavior. For example, if you believe that you’re smart, capable, and good looking, your behavior will be different than if you believe that you’re simple minded, incapable, and homely in appearance. Here are some more examples:

> Do you believe that failure is fine or to be avoided at all costs?

> Do you believe that most people are inherently good or inherently bad?

> Do you value safety or adventure?

> Do you have positive thoughts about your goals or negative?

> None of these things has any actual power in the world, other than that they can alter the choices you make and the actions you take. Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

4. The law of averages is ultimately on your side. If your dream is to play the piano, you can certainly do it. You simply have to keep trying. A pro pianist might play a certain piece better than you do, but you’ll most likely be successful eventually.

> When you take action, you get a result. You’re bound to get the result you want eventually if you take action long enough. Eventually, the law of averages will pay off.

> When you do nothing, you always fail.

5. Action creates potential. When you take action, you can learn from your results. When you take action, things change. New opportunities become available. You might meet a new person that can help you get what you want. When you take the first step, the next step appears. Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

> Things start happening when you start moving. Nothing happens while you’re learning, scheming, and planning.

Things begin to change when your behavior changes. You’ve proven this to yourself thousands of times throughout your life. Your life changed when you started school, changed schools, and made new friends. Your life was different after you made permanent changes to your diet or started a new diet. Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

You can’t just accumulate knowledge, daydream, or make grand plans. You have to DO new things.

When your behavior changes, your life changes. How do you want your life to change? What can you DO to make it happen? When will you get started?

Taking Action is the Thing That Matters

10 Things You Can Do Each Day to Enhance Your Happiness Enhance Your Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy. Even animals are instinctively driven toward comfort and away from discomfort. Of course, you want to be happy, but what if being happy is simpler than you think? Enhance Your Happiness

There are many simple and easy things you can do each day that will increase the odds of feeling happy. You’ll enjoy doing them! They’re self-rewarding behaviors.

Take control of your happiness with these ideas: Enhance Your Happiness

1. Listen to music that you love. There aren’t many things that can influence your emotions faster than hearing a song that you love. You can find just about any song you please online for free these days. Set aside a few minutes each day to listen to a song or two that boosts your mood.

2. Be grateful. It only takes a moment to think of the good things in your life. You probably have food to eat, a friend or two, or a place to sleep that’s out of the rain. In fact, you probably have more than that. Remind yourself of the good things you have instead of focusing on the things you lack.

3. Spend some time outdoors. Sit in the sun, take a walk, or work in the garden. Your mind, body, and spirit need a little sun and fresh air each day. It can do wonders for your outlook on life. Enhance Your Happiness

4. Think happy thoughts. Your thoughts lead your emotions. If you think about something stressful, you’ll feel stressed. Think about something that makes you happy and you’ll feel happier. What are your happiest memories? There’s no harm in spending a few minutes thinking some happy thoughts!

5. Make progress. Studies have shown that one of the most powerful ways to increase happiness is to make progress toward a goal. It could be doing one extra push up, learning a new word in Italian, losing a pound, or learning a new scale on the piano. It doesn’t take a lot of progress to feel good.

6. Spend time with others. Back in the day, it was hard to find time to spend by yourself, but we’re more isolated these days. We chat with people online, text, and spend a lot of time alone. It’s important to have a meaningful face-to-face conversation once in a while.

7. Forgive quickly. It’s very challenging to be happy when you’re holding a grudge. Forgive quickly and easily if you want to be happier. That doesn’t mean you have to give the other person another chance. Forgiving someone doesn’t have to include the possibility of a repeat performance. Enhance Your Happiness

8. Be optimistic. An optimistic perspective produces a happier mood than a pessimistic perspective. It’s important to be realistic, too. Foolish optimism might feel good in the moment, but the pain is on its way. Have a hopeful, but reasonable, outlook on life.

9. Exercise. If you’ve been sitting all day, going for a long walk or a bike ride changes how you feel for the better. Being sedentary is hard on your mood. A little exercise can definitely boost your happiness.

10. Relax. Relax at least once each day. You could close your eyes and sit in the sun. Meditate. Take a nap. Do a little yoga. It’s up to you. Stress is an obstacle to happiness.

You don’t need a million dollars, a yacht, or a full-time housekeeper to be happy. A few simple behaviors done on a daily basis can move you closer to feeling happy each day.

What are you prepared to do today to enhance your happiness? Make a plan and add to your positive emotions.

11 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Your comfort zone is, well, comfortable. However, it’s a trap. Nothing new or spectacular happens in that comfortable place. Nothing changes.

If you want to grow and experience new things, it’s necessary to move beyond your comfort zone. This is easier said than done. 11 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Your brain makes your comfort zone feel good, because it believes that’s where you’re safe. The only way to go outside your comfort zone is to endure some discomfort. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the discomfort.

With time, you can teach yourself to enjoy this uncomfortable feeling, because you understand the potential it holds.

Try these techniques to break out of your comfort zone: 11 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

1. Put your awareness on your surroundings. What ultimately makes you feel emotionally uncomfortable are your thoughts. You imagine the worst. You ruminate. You create stress and then proceed to magnify it.

> One way to short-circuit this process is turn your attention outward and focus on your environment. When you feel uncomfortable, focus on what you can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch.

2. Mentally rehearse. Mental rehearsal can be just as real to your brain as the real thing. Before acting outside of your comfort zone, mentally rehearse your actions and success in that situation. The more you practice (in your mind), the easier it will be for you when the time comes to physically do it.

> This can easily be done in bed just before falling asleep and immediately after awakening. 11 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

> These are two powerful moments everyone should avoid wasting!

3. Change your wardrobe. You’re accustomed to dressing a certain way. Dressing in your usual manner doesn’t evoke any anxiety. An effective way to turn up the heat a bit is to change your style. You’ll feel slightly out of place, and at least a few people are bound to draw attention to the change.

4. Take a new route home. Shake things up a bit by taking a completely different route home. You never know what you’ll see that you’ve never seen before.

5. Give someone a compliment. Giving compliments can be a little nerve-racking. After all, you don’t know how they’ll take it. You also know that you’re putting them on the spot, because they’re forced to provide a reply. 11 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

> However, it’s ultimately a positive experience for everyone involved and an effective way to stretch your comfort zone safely.

6. Spend time with risk-takers. The people you spend time with matters. Spend time with risk-takers, and you’re bound to feel a little bolder.

7. Compare the best and the worst outcomes. Many of the most rewarding opportunities in life have few downsides and huge upsides. 11 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

> Approaching an attractive person and applying for a job over your head are two simple examples.

> There are plenty of options in life with great upside and minimal downside. Realizing this can reduce your anxiety.

8. Take tiny steps. Take the smallest step you can that would feel like progress. Continue this process and eventually you’ll reach the end point and achieve what you set out to do!

9. Involve a friend. Take a friend along with you. Do you want to become comfortable talking to strangers? Would you like to take salsa lessons? Drag a friend along with you to any activity you’d like to try. You’ll have support and you won’t feel alone.

10. Pretend you’re a brave person. Imagine you’re an actor. How would you think, stand, and behave if you had to pretend you were brave? Become that person and take action.

11. Try something new. Take up a new activity that isn’t very threatening. It could be trying a new restaurant, going to see a play, dusting off your bike and going for a ride, learning to ride a motorcycle, or taking tennis lessons.

Have the courage to leave your comfort zone behind if only for a little time each week. You and your life will grow in new and interesting ways.

Remember: There’s nothing for you in your comfort zone besides comfort. Your life can be about much more than that!